Looking for the best horse camping near Decatur? Finding a place to stay in Indiana while traveling with your horse has never been easier. At The Dyrt, you can find top-rated spots for horse camping, as reviewed by campers.
Nine connecting lakes will be the center of your adventures at Chain O’Lakes. This is lake country and a small boater’s paradise. Paddle through the chain of serene kettle lakes, hike the 23 miles of forested trails, fish the electric-motors-only lakes, stay overnight in a forested hillside family cabin, visit the park's historic one-room Stanley Schoolhouse, or explore the Nature Center. Other facilities available for visitors to enjoy include Chain O' Lakes Campground, beach and picnic shelters.
$20 - $25 / night
This recreation area is part of Salamonie Lake
Legend
Little four site camping area on the shore of Rivir Lake (not a typo). It can be accessed either by parking and walking in on the wide, well tended trail (#4 on maps) or by boating. The nearest boat launch is Miller lake, a mile west. Sites 3 & 4 are right on the lake with the best access, Sites 1& 2 are across the trail which is along a raised berm with a bridge over the passage to Mud Lake. I'd give this a higher review, but most people wouldn't appreciate the primitiveness of the sites. It's distance from most amenities could be a turn off, but also could be perfect for others
LegendLittle four site camping area on the shore of Rivir Lake (not a typo). It can be accessed either by parking and walking in on the wide, well tended trail (#4 on maps) of by boating. The nearest boat launch is Miller lake, a mile west. Sites 3 & 4 are right on the lake with the best access, Sites 1 & 2 are across the trail which is along a raised berm with a bridge over the passage to Mud Lake.
I'd give this a higher review, but most people wouldn't appreciate the primitiveness of the sites. It's distance from most amenities could be a turn off, but also could be perfect for others
LegendWe were a bit surprised that despite having a paid reservation , we still had to pay a $20 Day usage fee to enter the park, but no matter. This is a sprawling and sometimes confusing campground to find your way in. But the sites are generally shady if a bit close together. There are five facilities with showers and running water and six pit toilets. drinking water is accessible throughout the park.
The majority of sites have six person tables, though some, especially in the new 385-416 loop have little four person tables. These are also the least shaded.
Campground and facilities are clean and well maintained.
The General Store is one of the most impressively well stocked I have ever seen. Equipment, toys, tools, food souvenirs, you name it. Good dry firewood is $6.50 a bundle in the store, $7 on the honor system after hours. It burns fast, so you might want to buy more than you think. The store is open until 9:00 Friday & Saturday, but only 2;PM on Sunday and never on Monday. Keep that in mind if you're doing a 3-day weekend as we did. When checking out, look up to see the beautiful wooden canoe with wildlife inlaid wood.
Fire pits are mostly round iron with non-adjustable swing-away grills. Booking is through Indiana DNR/ Reserve America so you can see photos of the site you pick.
This was our second experience with an Indiana state park, and like our first (Pokagon, in the winter) we were impressed with the clear marking of the hiking trails (and canoe trail for that matter) there was a map and guidepost at every junction.
There's a beach, concession stand and boat rentals on Sand lake, the Park's largest. Lastly, there's a fish cleaning shed with running water outside the campground entrance that anyone in the park can use, something I wish more parks would provide.
Guide
Small campground. 13$. No reservations, but sites seem readily available, even on weekends in the summer. Spacious sites. Fairly wooded. Firewood only available Mon - Friday 8-3.
GuideOur site was 21 inches unloved from front to back and 7 inches down on the passenger side! With poison oak all over the back of our site so bring a lot of leveling block and no kids! Other that that it was a decent park with lots of activities but a very hard campsite to navigate and a busy weekend forget about dumping lol your gonna be there a while. Also no Verizon signal but our friend had T-Mobile and he was ok signal.
Traveler
Camp sites are tiny. We had site 88 and it was supposed to be full shade. It was full sun and they have it set up so the camp side of the trailer faces the road. The fire pit is also three feet from the road. Who wants to have a fire next to the road?
GuideWe enjoyed our stay here. The park has great trails for hiking and biking. The bison exhibit and ranger programs are great too. The campsites are variable, size and privacy definitely depends on the site you book. The potable water is brown and smelly.. be sure to bring your water filter! But we did enjoy our weekend here.
ScoutFirst time taking out my 1988 pop up and it was a blast. Our site was HUGE! Plenty of space to play bags with good canopy coverage and have many guests at our fire and a short drive to the kayak launch. Kayaking the 13 lakes can easily last from morning to sundown. All in all it was a great weekend with the family!
ScoutI've gone camping here multiple times and each time has been a fantastic trip. Can't recommend enough.
GuideAs far as Indiana parks goes, this is a hidden gem. We have camped here many times. Even the trails we frequent always seem new because each season offers a different kind of beauty.
GuideMy family and I go to Chain O Lakes for short hikes, kayaking and camping. We come here out of convenience, since we live twenty minutes away. The campground is decent. There are no backpacking spots. There are a handful of paddle up camping spots that are very hard to reserve. The beach is often overcrowded with local partiers, drinking and smoking, and leaving trash everywhere. After peak hours these people clear out and usually aren't actually camping there. Overall, a great place for families hiking with small children or those who camp just to relax.
GuideIt was my first time camping with my bf's family and we had a blast! We booked several sites and the sites that we got had a good amount of trees caving in so it was nicely shaded. There was a nice dock for fishing and the bathrooms were clean. We found a cave as well so some of us went to explore it!
Traveler
Nice level lots, beach, playgrounds, 15 miles of hiking/walking. Gorgeous lake sunrise/sunsets. Lots of eagle sightings! Plenty of deer. Leaves are beautiful in fall
TravelerBeautiful would go back every weekend if I could live it there
GuideGot to camp 9/10 and will be staying thru 9/12. Lot 102 is perfect! Shade the majority of the day, very back of the camp ground and close enough to walk to everything! We got up Saturday morning and rented a row boat for the day. Spent the day checking out the lakes, then hiked a couple of the trails. Trail 1 had a huge snake on a tree that I found fascinating lol. Great neighbors made it the perfect weekend get away! Will definitely be back! The staff is amazing, the restroom/showers were clean, and the whole park is very well maintained. I have Verizon and had no service from Albion all the way to the park. My wife has ATT and had spotty service in the park, just FYI
TravelerWe stayed at site #99 which is fairly easy to find and somewhat secluded from the main camper section of the campground. The site and neighboring sites are non-electric which makes you have to be creative if you need an air mattress. The site is partial sun midafternoon. The campground can get busy and loud but for the most part everyone was was respectful of others.
Chain is perfect for kayaking and canoeing with 9 connected lakes and 11 total. A couple lakes are perfect for boat fishing as long as you have an electric motor only. Overall, in my opinion, this is one of the more underrated state parks in Indiana. Worth the trip up north away from the more popular parks in the southern part of the state.
Scout
This is one of the best parks we have been to in Indiana. We Volunteer all over our the USA at State Parks and National Forest. So we know what to look for. Friendly people to answer questions plenty to do. And affordable.
TravelerThe filthiest toilet I have ever seen. Flies everywhere. Even down to site 120 where we stayed. Never again.
GuideDid the 9 lake challenge. It was a new first. Love the camping area.
GuideThis is the campground that sparked my love for camping! Its not the fanciest or modern but it's filled with families weekend after weekend that share the same passion for true camping. Lot's of people cooking over their fires, hiking the trails, getting out on the water and talking around campfires late into the night.
Site 311 isn't my favorite but getting a site is better than not going at all.
Sites- gravel/grass and always groomed! Bathrooms- older, lots of iron stain the walls from well water but cleaned multiple times throughout the day! Staff- great! They have lots of hosts that will help you throughout your stay. Playground - centrally located and HUGE! Kids will make friends at Chain O'Lakes. Activities - if you like to be outside during the day you have plenty to do!
No seasonal campers which adds to the energy that flows through this campground.
GuideNice lake shower house kinda far away, very clean .
GuideGreat fishing, clean , pretty alright place!!!
ScoutWould give 5 stars except for the poor cleaning of boathouse near campsite 007.
GuideCheap , 13$ self pay . No electric or showers but do have bathroom. Very secluded luv it here
Guide
The beach was clean and fun. Not very busy when we were there, which was nice. We stayed on Campsite 208. Nice size campsite, which good shade. The campsite did have a bigger than expected slope, but nothing horrible. Some campsite s looked amazing and others looked to be in major need of some TLC. Most of the campsites were in need of a fresh layer of gravel for their parking pads. The restrooms were clean, and the hot water was plentiful for my shower. It would have been nice if there were pet station placed around the campground to make it easy for dog walkers to rid themselves of their full poop bags and to provide folks a place to get poop bags if they forgot to bring some. Overall a great weekend.
GuideI’m glad we stayed four nights here. It gave us enough time to see both good and bad from this lovely state park. The bad included small sites, overcrowding, and a lot of raccoon activity. But the good was beautiful scenery, lots of amenities, a wonderful camp store, and a lot of friendly people!
GuideIf you're traveling with kids or enjoy the community of being near your fellow campers this is a great option. If you are looking for a peaceful retreat this may be a bit loud and busy. However, the many amenities are a great way to find peace with the 9 lakes, 12 trails and a beach for swimming. The lakes and connecting channels are stunning for canoes and kayaks and there is a convenient rental area. This is a campground of convenience with a very well stocked campground store with reasonable prices right next to the entrance. There is firewood and ice for sale as well as staple cooking items and cute souvenirs. The campsites are spacious and have a picnic table and fire pit at each. This campground is a great way to stay close to the fun and other campers. With so many options there is a something for everyone! Safe travels happy campers 😄
Frequently Asked Questions
Which is the most popular equestrian campsite near Decatur, IN?
According to TheDyrt.com, the most popular equestrian campground near Decatur, IN is Ouabache State Park Campground with a 4.1-star rating from 12 reviews.
What is the best site to find equestrian camping near Decatur, IN?
TheDyrt.com has all 6 equestrian camping locations near Decatur, IN, with real photos and reviews from campers.
